Enter a new contestant into the running for worst timing ever.
As the Rangers were facing elimination from their second-round series with the Senators, and after they went down, 2-0, in the first period of Game 6 on Tuesday night at the Garden, the NHL announced that the Blueshirts would be participating in their second Winter Classic, playing the Sabres on Jan. 1 outdoors at Citi Field.
The Rangers went on to lose to the Senators, 4-2, and it ended their season.
But they do now have this league showcase to look forward to, even if the 10th anniversary of the marquee event seems like a long time away.
“With New York City as its host, the renewal of our New Year’s tradition will continue to inspire hockey memories for our clubs, our players and our fans,” commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement, released as he went on live television at intermission to make the announcement.
This is the second Winter Classic for the Rangers, having played against the Flyers in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day in 2012 — the game that coach John Tortorella implied was fixed by NBC to give the Flyers a penalty shot. They also participated in two outdoor Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium in 2014, winning games against the Islanders and Devils.
see also
Nobody to blame but ourselves: Rangers season ends with a thud
Is it that shocking when it was like this all…
“The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic represents everything that is great about our game,” Rangers president Glen Sather said in the statement. “Playing in the Winter Classic and Stadium Series in recent years was a tremendous experience for our organization and we look forward to yet another opportunity to celebrate the game of hockey, together with all our fans, in New York City.”
This is the Sabres’ second Winter Classic, having played host to the first one in 2008 in the snowy conditions of Ralph Wilson Stadium, beating the Penguins in a shootout.
The Rangers power play went 0-for-4 over eight minutes in Game 6, and finished this series 2-for-24 (8.3 percent) and the postseason 3-for-39 (7.7 percent).
“We’d like to create a few more shot opportunities with some traffic in front,” captain Ryan McDonagh said. “It’s simply not good enough.”
The Rangers kept the same lineup for the fourth straight game, meaning talented rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch. This was the first year of North American hockey for the 22-year-old Russian, and after 41 regular-season games, he played five playoff games. Buchnevich has two more years left on his entry-level contract.
Playing instead of Buchnevich was rugged forward Tanner Glass, who spent most of the season with AHL Hartford. Glass, 33, is going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but did make an impact in seven playoff games.
“Playoff hockey is fun for me,” Glass said. “I guess I kind of say I earned it, so I’m happy about it.”